# Lurker Past posts: feature brief

Updated October 26, 2026. Requires Chrome extension 0.1.20 or later. Version 0.1.20 has been submitted to the Chrome Web Store; submission is not approval or availability on every device.

## What it does

Past posts is a user-started, bounded scan of older posts that Facebook loads in one open group. It helps find opportunities from before a live watcher began. The extension scrolls the visible group feed, reads supported post text, resolves dates and source links, skips previously processed items, and saves eligible matches in the usual Lurker opportunity inbox.

## How to use it

1. Update Lurker and reload the Facebook group tab. Use the same Lurker account and workspace as your inbox.
2. Open a group you already have access to. Return to the top; select New posts when available.
3. Keep the group visible. Open the extension’s Past posts tab.
4. Choose UTC start/end dates, a scan mode, and all three budgets. Confirm the group is at the top, then select Start historical scan.
5. Pause, resume or cancel from the extension while the same page stays open.
6. Read the final status and review saved opportunities in Lurker. Open each source in Facebook before deciding whether to respond.

## Modes and plan access

- Keyword-only uses the positive and negative keywords saved locally in the extension. Verify them under Settings before starting. Free and Watcher are keyword-focused; keyword limits still follow the workspace’s plan.
- AI company-aware is available on eligible Pro AI/Engage workspaces with the relevant business context. It evaluates fit against the business’s configured context. Existing filters and entitlement checks still apply.
- The mode is selected for the historical scan; choosing keyword-only does not require downgrading an AI workspace.
- AI work uses the plan’s allowance. A 1,000-analysis scan cap does not grant 1,000 AI credits or override monthly limits.

## Exact limits

| Control | Allowed range |
| --- | --- |
| UTC dates | Within the past 365 days, ending today or earlier |
| Posts examined | 1–5,000 per scan |
| Elapsed time | 1–30 minutes per scan |
| Nonduplicate analyses | 1–1,000 per scan |

The scan stops when its first budget is reached, or when it cannot continue through the feed. AI-plan restrictions may stop work sooner. Defaults are 500 examined posts, 10 minutes and 25 analyses; users can choose lower or higher limits within the bounds.

## Duplicate, date and link handling

Previously submitted duplicate posts bypass repeat evaluation and do not consume the analysis budget. They may still count toward posts examined. Local repeated observations are skipped quickly. Unresolved dates and missing exact post links are tracked as coverage gaps and retried where possible; Lurker does not invent them. The status reports examined posts, nonduplicate analyses, duplicates, saved opportunities, unknown dates, out-of-range dates, missing links, oldest dated post seen, elapsed time and stop reason.

## Conditions and interruption

Chrome must stay running, the computer awake, Facebook signed in, and the relevant group page open. The group must remain visible for collection to continue. Hiding it pauses collection, while the elapsed-time budget continues. Pause/resume works on the same open page; it is not a durable job that survives reload, tab closure, browser restart, or extension update. An analysis already underway may finish after pause/cancel.

## Results and notification behavior

Eligible matches are saved to the normal opportunity inbox. Historical scans suppress individual opportunity email/push alerts and automatic reply-draft generation so a backfill does not create a burst of old-post alerts. Reply assistance can be used later where the plan permits. Nothing is automatically posted, commented, messaged or joined on Facebook. This feature does not add iPhone-based scanning; iPhone remains a review companion.

## Lookback versus coverage

365 days is the maximum selectable lookback, not guaranteed retrieval. Facebook decides which posts load, ranked feeds mix dates, and layouts or suspended tabs can affect collection. Finding one old post does not establish that every newer post was checked. Do not describe this as a complete archive, unlimited scraping, guaranteed one-year retrieval, or unattended cloud scanning.

In one Orange Beach group on October 26, 2026, two 30-minute runs used 5,000-post and 1,000-analysis caps. AI-aware examined 209 posts, performed 55 new analyses and skipped 154 duplicates; its oldest post was October 21 at 12:32 p.m. Central. Keyword-only examined 325 posts, performed 6 new analyses and skipped 36 duplicates; its oldest post was October 21 at 11:42:58 a.m. Both had zero unresolved dates, zero missing links and zero saved opportunities. These runs reused already observed posts and are not a controlled speed or match-quality comparison. Their roughly five-day reach is a single-group observation, not a service guarantee.

## MCP connector

The guidance-only historical-scan tool prepares a validated date range, mode and budgets for an authorized workspace and explains the local steps. It checks plan eligibility and returns explicit “scan not started” status. The user starts, pauses, resumes and cancels in Chrome. MCP does not control the extension or read local scan progress. Existing opportunity tools can inspect recorded results within the plan’s decision-history window; that retention window is separate from the selectable historical date range. Stored connector keyword settings do not prove that local extension keywords are in sync.

## Suggested short copy

“Find opportunities in older Facebook group posts. Choose a date range and limits, run the scan in your open Chrome group, then review matches in Lurker. Keyword-only and eligible AI company-aware modes are supported. Coverage depends on what Facebook loads.”

## Common support answers

- **Why did it only reach a few days back?** Check the stop reason and budgets. Facebook loading and ranking determine reach; selecting older dates does not jump directly to them.
- **Why no email alerts?** Historical matches are saved quietly to the inbox by design.
- **Why no new analyses on a second run?** Already processed duplicates are skipped without another analysis.
- **Why do examined and analyzed counts differ?** Nonmatching keyword posts, duplicates, out-of-range dates and unresolved source details do not all require a new analysis.
- **Can I close the popup?** The popup may close; keep the group itself visible and its page open. Check the status again from Past posts.
- **Can I continue after reloading?** The running scan is lost. Start a new bounded scan; duplicate protection avoids repeat evaluation of already submitted items.
- **Can an agent run it remotely?** The MCP connector provides guidance only. An assistant with separately authorized local browser tools may help operate visible controls, but that is separate from MCP capability.

Canonical guide: https://getlurker.com/historical-scans/
Setup walkthrough: https://getlurker.com/setup/#historical